Mira Costa Advances to Title Game in Volleyball

Mira Costa, the top-seeded volleyball team in the Southern Section 4-A playoffs, not only advanced easily Thursday night but proved Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn a prophet.

Before the match-up at Corona del Mar, Glenn predicted that his team would lose if it could not extend the Mustangs to five games.

Mira Costa barely broke a sweat in the semifinals, winning 15-5, 15-2 and 15-11 and advancing to the Saturday night championship game against Corona del Mar at Marina High.

Corona del Mar beat Laguna Beach in three sets Thursday night to earn the right to play Mira Costa.

“I said before the game that if we played just three sets and we played our best and they played their best, Mira Costa would win,” Glenn said. “They just took us completely out of our game tonight.”

The Mustangs started out quickly, applied a devastating knockout in the second set, then let their second- and third-string players secure the match in the third set.

Only one Mira Costa starter saw action in the third and final set.

“I am really, really delighted with the work of our so-called second team,” said Mira Costa Coach Mike Cook, who is returning to the Southern Section championship game for the first time since 1987. “I was never going to take them out. It was their game to win or lose.”

The Mustangs led, 4-2, in the first set when senior Kevin Burd served five straight to extend the lead. Two sideouts later, David Swatik served three straight. Pat Ivie made the score 14-5, and Jason Stimpfig closed the game with an ace.

Mira Costa fell behind, 1-0, in the second set but took a slim lead on Craig Adamoli’s serves, one an ace.

The Mustangs moved ahead, 6-1, but Newport Harbor cut one point off the lead before Stimpfig served nine straight points to give Mira Costa the game.

Key plays in the runs were turned in by Adamoli and Zach Small, who teamed up for three key blocks.

“They (Newport Harbor) have a real scrappy team and had a history the whole year of not letting up,” Cook said. “So the second game was real critical.

“We lost one game to Santa Barbara (in the quarterfinal) 15-4, and we weren’t going to let that happen again. Tonight we played really; the best we have all year.”

Newport Harbor regained some momentum against Mira Costa’s second team in the third set and moved out to a 10-6 advantage. But the Mustangs, behind Canyon Ceman’s serving, secured the match and the game with eight straight points to move to a 14-10 lead.

Minutes later Greg Shankle’s serve gave the Mustangs the win.

“We served them tonight,” Cook said. “The first time we played them (in the Redondo tournament) they beat us because our serve stunk.

“Tonight our serving was outstanding.”